Dog Breeds and Health Issues Quiz

Dog Breeds: A Summary

• Dogs were purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, resulting in around 450 globally recognized breeds with distinct traits related to morphology and behavior.

• Kennel clubs and breed registries maintain and publish a breed standard, a written description of the ideal specimen of the breed, for each recognized breed.

• Prior to standardization, there were different types of dogs defined by their function, with form given a more prominent role than function by the end of the Victorian era.

• The Kennel Club in the UK was founded in 1873 and was the world's first national kennel club and breed registry, followed by the International Canine Federation in 1911.

• Genetic evidence shows that dogs were selectively bred for specific tasks such as sled dogs and hunting dogs, with the optimal maximum size for a sled dog being 20-25 kg.

• Most modern dog breeds were developed in the Victorian era through directed human selection, resulting in a vast range of phenotypes and rapid phenotypic change.

• Basal breeds are genetically divergent and distinct from modern domestic dogs, with little or no genetic connections to their ancestral populations.

• Breed temperament may be linked to gene mutations or the legacies of 'ancient' ancestry.

• Kennel clubs provide recognition of distinct dog breeds, but there are many independent clubs with differing standards and some groups of dogs with persistent sets of characteristics may not be recognized as breeds.

• A dog is considered purebred if their parents were purebred and if the dog meets the standards of the breed, but the breeding paradigm has been criticized as anachronistic.

• The breed standard for each breed of dog is a detailed description of the appearance and behavior of an idealized dog of that breed, with major registries maintaining these standards and record pedigrees in a breed registry.Overview of Dog Breeds and Health Issues

• Breed standards are accepted into major registries of dog breeds

• Recognized dog breeds are classified by groups

• The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) is a global canine organization

• Purebred dogs have more health problems than mongrel dogs

• Dog breeds with flat faces and short noses have health issues

• The Fédération Cynologique Internationale recognizes 354 purebreds

• A dog crossbreed is the result of mating two different breeds

• A mongrel, mixed-breed dog or mutt is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized breed

• Natural breeds rose through time in response to a particular environment

• Lists of dog breeds are available from various organizations

• Breeding practices can affect the health of dog breeds

• Further research is needed to address dog breed health issues.